On the cutting edge of science and culture issues, dissident intellectual, Michael Cremo, discussed his continuing work in forbidden archaeology and human origins including artifacts and discoveries that don't fit into conventional timelines and theories of the academic and scientific communities. He also reacted to the recent news that Neanderthals built mysterious underground circles around 175,000 years ago inside a cave in France. They arranged pieces of stalagmites in rings, as well as in separate piles that they used to light fires upon. This showed a high level of intelligence, he noted, as the beings had to collaborate to pull off the accomplishment, given that the stalagmites were quite heavy.

The standard idea is that the Neanderthals came into existence about 300,000 to 400,000 years ago, and humans like us came much later. But Cremo believes there is plenty of evidence to show that anatomically modern humans were present in Europe at the same as the Neanderthals and even before. For example, a couple years ago, archaeologists found footprints resembling modern humans in a layer of rock in Happisburgh, England dating back to around 900,000 years ago, he cited.

There are pieces of evidence for extreme human antiquity that are hidden in museums around the world, he declared. For instance, in the private collection of the Museum of Anthropology at UC-Berkeley are artifacts discovered in California goldmines which have human evidence in layers of rock estimated to be 50 million years old, he marveled. Cremo also delved into his interest in ancient Sanskrit and Vedic cosmology. Detailing the ancient descriptions of vimanas-- spacecraft that could operate at different levels including spiritual, subtle, and physical, he reported that these UFO-like objects were sometimes associated with wars, and could appear to be at several places at the same time.

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Midweek Open Lines followed in the latter half, with many callers sharing their thoughts about the recent incident at the Cincinnati Zoo, in which a gorilla was killed by zookeepers after a little boy slipped into its enclosure. Susan in Ohio talked about her fluke experience at the Columbus Zoo, when a kangaroo jumped directly on her foot in their 'Walkabout' attraction. Nathan in West Virginia shared his curious experience of being recognized almost on weekly basis by people he's never seen, which suggests he's got a 'doppelganger' out there somewhere.

News segment guests: Stan Deyo - related graphics / Steve Kates